Gearing for motor-vehicles.



R. G. MANEFULD.

@Emma ,ma Mama @mafia APPUCA'R'ION HLD )ULY E* i916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

uw QQ'MM,

R. G. MANIFULD.

@Emma 03 MOTOR VEHICLES.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

wwmtoz RICHARD G. MANIFOLD, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

GEABING FCR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Sept, 18, 1917.

Application led July 6, 1916. Serial No. 107,768.

T0 all whom t ma concern.'

Be it known that I, RICHARD G. MANI- FOLD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Riverside, in the county of Riverside andr State of California, have invented certain new and useful Im )reve ments in Gearing for Motor-Vehicles, `of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompany.n ingrI drawing.

Differential gearing commonly used in motor vehicles has many generally recognized disadvantages which it is the object of this invention to eliminate, and this end is reached by using a divided driven axle to each part of which power is transmitted by a. clutch automatically disconnected from the power when the corresponding wheel tends to rotate faster than its companion, power then being applied only to the slower moving wheel. On acurve of smallradius the outer wheel moving in a longer path, the inner wheelv must slip if both rotate at the same speed, and if the wheels are independently power driven and one by reason of sand or mud can obtain only sub-normal hold upon the earth, it spins too rapidly and exerts, nevertheless, little tractive force. In either case, power is expended in wearing the tire, which at best wears far more rapidly than other parts of the machine.

By disengaging the faster running wheel from thev power, the power is temporarily applied solely to driving the other, and the machine .is less readily stalled, tire' wear is greatly decreased, l and skidding --largely avoided, while at the same time, complicated gearing is made unnecessary.

' In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a section in the plane passing through my devices and the axes of the power shaft and the axles.

Fig. 2 is a. section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fi gs. 3 and 4 are views in the directionpf the arrow of Fig. 2, Fi 3 showing both clutches engaged and Fig. 4 showing one disengaged by relative rotation. A

Fig. 5 is a view looking from the right in Figs. 2, 3, 4, with parts on the right of the joint in the casing removed.

Fig. 6 is a detached view showing one face of an annular central member seen in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows the opposite face of the same member. 4

Fig. S shows the working face of a niember engaging the face seen in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-p9, Fig. 4.

In these figures 10, 10 are alining axle members having their adjacent ends s )aeed apart and on the inner end portion o each is splincd or otherwise suitably mounted the long hub 11 of a clutch disk 12 having on its inner face an annular series of radial teeth 14 to engage analogous teeth on an annular' clutch member 15 mounted to rotate and `slide on the inner end portionlof the corresponding hub 11. The clutch meinbers 15 extend equally inward, or toward each other, and approximately meet in a. plHue perpendicular to and equidistant from the adjacent ends ot the axles, but are cut away to forni openings 16 to receive rthe materially smaller arms of a plane spider 17 which approximately fits the space between the axle ends and has its arms anglilarly equidistant. .The clutch members are further Vent away at 18 midway between the openings 16 so that when they are slightly rotated relatively their meeting faces at 19 are ont of registry and either memberinay in ove toward its companion far enough to dlsengage its teeth from the teeth of the corresponding clutch member 12. lie `,openings 16 are large enough to permit this movement without striking the spider arms. The members 15 are peripherally connected midway between the openings 16 by plane'laminated spring links 20 lying in a broad peripheral recess-21 and each loosely pivoted at each end' on headed pins 22 inserted. in the corresponding clutch membh s. If one of the clutch members 15 befro d from. the postion shown in Fig. 3 to that of Fi 4, the faces 19 becoming disengaged, the ink 20, draws that member inward' disengaging its teeth from the one clutch disk 12, and at the same time the link is itself twisted, its resulting force tending to return the parts to initial position. These clu .h members are inclos'ed 'by a heavy casingqfz(` made'in two partsieut away to receive thi arms of the spider and s ccu red together by bolts 24 and to an annular flange 25 of one of the parte is fixed an annular bevel gharln driven y a pinion 27 on a power shaft 28, whereby the spider 17 is positively rotated ata speed .1s transmitted through the pinion 2 A, companion member still 55.

determined b the engine. The casing 23 closely lits the outex" faces of the clutch members 12 and their hubs 11, so thatoutward strain upon them is safely resisted, although they may rotate freely within the casing. The working parts are all inclosed in a .heavy case 30 made in two arts, as usual, and provided internally wit strong projections 31 in which are formed cylindrical races for series of long cylindrical rollers 32 in two series, serving as bearings, respectively, for the outer end portions, or hubs 33 of the rotary casing 23, lying within and also abutting the rllers which themselves abut ,anges 34 integral with the case 30.

lV hen the power shaft 28 is rotated, owecil' an gear 26 to one of t e casing members 23 and, through the arms ofthe spider 17 clamped between the two and -lying partl in each, to the other member 23, so that bot these members and the intervening spider rotate together. The rotation of the spider arms 'carries them bodily against the walls of the openings 1Gl in the registering clutch members Y15 which thus normallylrotate with the casing 23 and the spider. If the teeth of both these clutch members 154 are engaged with the teeth of the corresponding disks 12, which is normally the case, thosevdisks are also rotated, and since each is splined to Its axle 10, both axle members are rotated at the same speed in the same direction. Should one of the axle members rotate faster than its com anion or faster than it would be driven or the moment by the power shaft, the corresponding clutch mem-4 bers 12, 15, advance leaving the forward side of the spider arms, the rear sides of which are at some distance from the rear wall of the opening I6, the faces 19 pass out. of re istry, asiindicated in Fig. 1, and the lins 20 draw the teeth of the Vclutch member 15 ont of engagement with the teeth of the corresponding disk 12, leaving this disk with its axle member and wheelentirely free to rotate as it will. The linkin thus swinging about one of its pins is twist d and its resilient force tendsto rester, or aid infrestoring, the advance member 15 to initial position and of fthe released disk 12 falls to that of the driven 'by the power, the link swings and the clutch member passes outward into engagement with the disk l2 as shown in Fig. 8. y Obviously either clutch member l5 may thus move out of. en- ,f ijagmncnl: and return to normal osition, or, in other words, when either wlicelV rotates faster than theA other, it is freed from-the driving devices and rotates as it may. There is then no power Iost'iirr compelling the wheels to rotate at the same Speed with con-` sequent slipping and wearing of the tires,

practically as soonas the speed and when one wheel, only, tenus oo spin in soft ground, the entire driving felice is applied to the other wheel'. i I

hat I claim is:

y1. The combination with two 'separated alined shafts havin spaced facing dach members fixed there o, respectively, of vo zzo-acting clutch members between and normally in positive engagement, respectively, with the members first mentioned and adapted to drive them positively in either direction, means for rotating said cc-actng members, and means whereby force tending to ro tate one of the shafts faster thani s companion may disen age the corresponding co actin clutch mem er. 2. llhe combination with two alined shafts having facin "clutch members spaced a art and fixed to he shafts, respectively, o er` actin clutch members normally engaging the igrst mentioned members, respectively and having abutting portions which exten" fully across the space between the two first clutch members, ing at the same speed, and positive] prevent disengagement, and means where y unequal rotation disengages the elatch ofthe faster rotating shaft. l

3. The combination with two alined shafts and two facing spaced 'clutch members fixed to the shafts, respectively, of two co-acting clutch members normally engaging the members rst mentioned, respectlvely, having non-inclinedvmeeting faces normally preventing disengagement of either co-actin clutch member, and cut away alongside sai faces to allow the' latter to move out of meeting position when the co-acting clutch members rotate unequally, means for rotatin both the .members last 'mentioned while al owing either to advance with respect to the other, and means for automatically disengaging the advanced. clutch member from the companion member with which it engages.

4. The combination driven-Shafts havin spaced apart, of cinte 1 members fixed to said ends, respectively, two other clutch members engaging the 4members first mentioned, respectively, means for driving said other clutch members together, and a link pivoted tosaid other clutch members normally holding both in engagement with the clutch members, respectively and adapted to disengage one of them from its companion clutch member, when the said one rotates faster than its companion.

5; The combination with two alned driven shafts having their adjacent ends spaced apart, o`f a spider interposed between said ends, a power rotated member engaging the spider arms at some distance from thcl axes of` the 'shafts and compelling the spider to rotate, clutch members fixed to the `with two alined their adjacent ends when the shafts are rotat- Lampes members limited movements of rotation withV respectv to the spider and parallel to the axes of the shafts, and a link pivotally connecting said co-acting clutch members and adapted to draw toward the spider either coacting clutch member rotating faster than its companion.

6. The combination with two alined driven shafts havin their adjacent ends spaced apart, of a spider interposed between said ends, a power rotated member engaging `the spider arms at some distance from the axes of the shafts and compelling the spider to rotate, clutch members fixed to the ends of the shafts, respectively, co-acting clutch members normally engaging the members rst mentioned, respectively, and cut away upon their opposite sides to receive the spider arms in recesses which allow said members limited movements of rotation with respect to the spider and parallel to the axes of the shafts, and a spring link pivctally connecting said co-acting clutch members and adaptedV to draw toward the spider either co-acting clutch member rotating faster than its companion, while itself put under tension tending to restore the parts to initial position.

7. The combination with two separated, alined shafts having spaced, facing clutch members fixed thereto respectively, of two co-acting clutch members between said facing clutch members and normally in engagement therewith, respectively, links normally approximately parallel to said shafts and having their ends pivoted to the co-acting members, respectively, and means for rotating said co-acting members; whereby said links normally tend to hold the co-acting clutch members in engagement but disengage eitherwhen its shaft rotates faster than its companion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

RICHARD Gr. MANIFOLD. 

